Investigative Post among grant recipients

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A large grant obtained by a coalition of progressive organizations in Buffalo includes funding for Investigative Post.

The Open Society Foundation, funded by billionaire George Soros, has selected Buffalo, San Diego and Puerto Rico for two-year grants of $1.9 million each. Organizations in the three regions will be candidates for additional funding of up to $1 million a year for the following three to eight years.

“Our commitment to them is long-term,” wrote Kenneth Zimmerman, a senior official with the foundation, in explaining the initiative.

Here is how Zimmerman explained the plans for here:

In Buffalo, a city suffering the aftermath of manufacturing job loss and ongoing segregation, the groups will be pursuing a high-road economic development strategy that will provide quality jobs for marginalized communities. They will also be working with parents and schools to introduce restorative justice approaches to increase student engagement and radically decrease the numbers of young people entering the justice system.  Throughout its work, it plans to tap the arts to promote social justice through diverse voices and different modes of expression.   

Buffalo’s winning proposal, summarized here, was written under the banner of Open Buffalo and drafted by four of the region’s leading progressive non-profits. They include the Partnership for the Public Good, People United for Sustainable Housing, the Coalition for Economic Justice and VOICE-Buffalo. The Partnership for the Public Good will play the lead role in managing the grant.

Nine other non-profits are in line for funding, including Investigative Post, the Public Accountability Initiative, the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, Buffalo Peacemakers, Citizen Action/Public Policy and Education Fund, the Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo, the Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition, Prisoners are People Too,  and the Western New York Council on Occupational Health and Safety.

Jim Heaney, editor of Investigative Post, said his organization’s share of grant money will be used to help fund a reporting fellowship that will employ a recent journalism school graduate.

“The grant will enable us to do more watchdog reporting and bring young talent onboard,” Heaney said. “Coupled with other fund-raising, we hope to hire several reporters in the coming year to provide desperately needed investigative and analytical coverage of key issues confronting our community.”

Buffalo was one of 16 cities and regions from around the country to submit applications for the Open Society Foundation grant. It was selected from a short list of eight.

Several of the region’s leading foundations have signaled their intent to lend their financial support to the Open Buffalo initiative. They include the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and the John R. Oishei Foundation.

“Open Buffalo provides a chance for community groups across the city to pull together to address challenges that we’ve faced for generations: a lack of quality jobs and the structural racism that’s evident through our criminal justice and education systems,” Aaron Bartley, executive director of PUSH, told The Buffalo News.